I love movie trailers, and as a writer, I know good ones use foreshadowing. God mastered the art of foreshadowing long ago. Let’s look at the preview of thorns He gave us in Genesis:

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.” Genesis 3:17-18 (NIV)

Thorns. Absent on day three when God created the land, the sea, and all the vegetation. The good stuff.

Thorns came after.

After creation.

After Eden.

After the fall.

They rip. They tear. They spare—no one.

Fast forward to the New Testament, and we see their spiky little heads again.

Jesus warned of thorns in the parable of the sower, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” (Luke 8:14 NIV)

Thorns. Obstacles to relationship and fruitfulness.

Move ahead to the cross.

Thorns. The fruit of the curse. Crowning the head of our Lord. Click To Tweet

Then, God presents thorns after. After the cross.

“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me . . . But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:7-10)

The thorns haven’t changed and they won’t until creation is restored.

But we’ve been changed and that’s good news.

Workout for the Week: Previews of Coming Attractions – Thorns

Memory Verse: “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” (Luke 8:14 NIV)

Meditation Passage: Genesis 3:17-18

Just Do It: His grace is sufficient.